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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26782021">Rekindled</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/drgskies/pseuds/drgskies'>drgskies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Learning to Love Again [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A LOT of pining from Leon's end, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pokemon, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mention of Minor Character Death, Mention of Suicide Attempt, Minor characters won't have heavy impacts on the story but they will have personalities lmao, No graphic depictions of suicide attempts, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Single Parent AU, Single Parent Raihan, Trans Character, Trans Dande | Leon, Trans Male Character, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, raihan is a widow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:14:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,298</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26782021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/drgskies/pseuds/drgskies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been exactly six years since Raihan’s wife passed away during the birth of their daughter. Six years since Raihan has avoided any sort of romantic relationship. He just couldn’t do that, not when he’s still worried about the environment Violette is raised. He figures that all he truly needed was to work, care for his daughter, and push away all things that would rear their heads in his direction.</p><p>On the other hand, Leon is now the primary caretaker of his younger brother, Hop, after their mother was admitted to the hospital five months prior. Trying his absolute best to juggle the struggles of “parenting,” working, and his issues in life, Leon doesn’t expect to meet a rather handsome man and his adorable daughter along the way. The man says that he’s sure they’d meet again, and deep down, Leon wishes that’s true.</p><p>But crushing on a man who already has a family, from what it seems, isn’t very good, now is it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Kibana | Raihan &amp; Other(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Learning to Love Again [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is like, my first fic after YEARS. I'm a bit self - conscious about my writing but getting out of my comfort zone would do me more good than not, I believe.<br/>It's also my first fic in this fandom and honestly?<br/>Zach said DILF Raihan and then I agreed and that's how this fic came to be.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hop, can you bring the rest of the boxes? I just finished putting up the pictures!" While adjusting the picture frames hanging from the wall, there's a short sigh that escapes Leon. It's been exactly five months since their mother was admitted to the hospital. Slowly but surely, her health has been deteriorating. The least Leon could do since he became the primary caregiver for his younger brother, Hop, was to find a place closer to the hospital where their mother resided. He can remember the night Hop called Leon while he was in the middle of a shift at work; voice riddled with fear and tears. Leon had to leave early that day to rush to the hospital.</p><p>"Here you go, Lee!" Hop exclaims, with him, he carries two boxes and nearly stumbles forward. Leon is quick to steady his brother and relieve him of the packages, "thanks," and when Leon steps off to bring the boxes to the bookshelves. Hop rubs at his arm, "Lee?"</p><p>"Yeah?" </p><p>"Do you think mum will get better soon? It's … it's been five months since -" Hop's words lodged in his throat, it's evident that he's been thinking about this for so long. Leon doesn't blame his brother, though; from what he can recall, Hop was the one that found her collapsed in the kitchen. From school to that … Leon could only imagine how terrified his younger brother was; after that, Hop was inconsolable; not eating, not sleeping - it was a challenge even getting him ready for school. He was thankful for Sonia’s advice, it took a while, but Hop began to regain the natural pep in his step over time. “I’m just worried, is all.” </p><p>“I understand.” Sonia’s words ring through his mind. <em> You have to be understanding </em>; he remembers her saying. While he is a pretty understanding individual, Leon was much more in control of his emotions; his optimism rivaled by no other. “She’ll get better sooner than you expect, I’m sure of it, Hop.” He looks to his brother, and a bright smile splits his face. “If you want, we can go visit her tomorrow after my shift at work. Besides, you start school tomorrow! Looking forward to it, buddy?” But all he receives is a short shrug from the other. “Oh, don’t be like that. I think it’ll help you, meet new people, make friends - ”</p><p>“I do have friends!” Hop retorts, but Leon is shaking his head. His smile is gentle.</p><p>“Hop, you can’t keep Ace as your only friend,” Leon replies, and Hop is crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t enjoy that remark at all, but Leon figures that he’ll get over it eventually. “Speaking of, where is Ace?” He’s looking around the room, and the furball is nowhere in sight. “Hop? Where’s Ace?” He asks again, and he’s stepping out of the living room to search for Hop’s pet. He receives a dismissive sound from his brother, and that helps none. “You can’t just - ugh, fine. I’ll go look.” Stepping out into the hallway, Leon calls out for a particular fuzzy fellow, and it’s with a sneeze that Leon’s able to pinpoint precisely where Hop’s companion is, and of course, she’s in his room. “Hop, I thought I told you to close my bedroom door?”</p><p>“Oh, so that’s what I forgot!” It gets a laugh out of Leon, that’s for sure. But he’s not all that excited to see just what Ace has gotten herself into, both adventurous and nosy. It always spelled trouble for Leon in the end. So when he steps into his room, he flicks the light switch on, and in the messy pile of clothes (Leon <em> never </em> said cleanliness was prominent in his manner of unpacking), he sees a bundle of black and white fur on top. </p><p>“Ace … I told you my clothes aren’t for you to sleep on.” Trudging over, he puts his hands on his hips and looks down at the culprit. She huffs and rolls onto her back, pawing at the air towards Leon, and it takes every ounce of willpower to not cave to the furry devil’s charms. “No. Come on, up.” She’s still pawing at the air. “Ace, stop. I’m not going to cave to your whims.” Ace is genuinely laying it on thick when she yawns, a tiny whine escaping her in the process. “Ugh.” He groans, dragging a hand down his face. “Fine. Fine! You’re sleeping in the living room tonight, though.”</p><p>The border collie is more than pleased when she wins because she gets up, circles her spot, and the plops down before nuzzling into the clothes pile. Thinking about it now, Hop is so lucky Leon purchased a lint roller. Otherwise, Hop wasn’t going to hear the end of it when Leon gets ready for work, and he finds his clothes covered in dog hair. Going about ruffling up his hair, Leon goes about thinking what to do next, but figures they’ve done enough packing for the day; with the day getting later and later, they should plan on what to have for dinner. Last time he forgot, Hop complained and complained like no tomorrow. The only thing that sated his brother’s complaints was giving him free-reign on takeout that night. “Hey, Hop! What do you want for dinner? It’s too late to go out and buy stuff to make, so do you want to have takeout?”</p><p>“Sounds good to me! Can I pick?” Of course, he’d ask that. “I want pizza!” No surprise there either. It’s not long after that Leon is pulling out his phone to do a quick Google search on the closest pizzeria.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Papa?” A tiny voice calls out when she steps into the dark bedroom, the hallway light being the only thing that helps her locate her father buried in the blankets on his bed. “Papa, you didn’t have dinner with me…” There’s a pout on her face, but she knows that her father hasn’t been feeling all that well even to muster a meal. Small feet padding over to the side of the bed, she’s pulling on the blankets he’s wound so tight around himself that once she manages to get his attention, she giggles. “Hi, Papa!” </p><p>A small, tired smile graces sharp features when he sees his daughter, “hi, honey. What did you say?” Raihan hates that he’s so wound up in his thoughts that he failed to hear his daughter even come into the room. “I’m sorry. Papa isn’t feelin’ too well, did you enjoy dinner?” He remembers the look she gave him when he finally finished plating her food; she was delighted, always talking about how papa was the best cook. But he also took note of the sorrow in those familiar eyes when she watched him walk away to go upstairs. That’s … “Oh.” That’s probably why she’s here. He didn’t have dinner with her like he usually does. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have dinner with you, Violette.” His words are genuine, but she shakes her head and smiles.</p><p>“It’s okay, are you okay, Papa?” Her tiny voice was always his anchor. It’s been six years since her mother passed away while giving birth to Violette. His little angel… the doctors all said that Violette wouldn’t make it due to his wife’s health. But his wife was stronger than ever; she did everything she could to make it to a full nine months. Though, not everything goes according to plan; he can remember holding his daughter while being told that his wife didn’t make it. It was a miracle that Violette did at all; even the doctors were shocked at the turn of events. But not once did Raihan take this miracle for granted. He had to go on leave for work after that; thankfully, it was a paid leave. Violette was a weak one due to the circumstances of her birth. However, it never stopped Raihan from loving her with his whole heart. She was the brightest little girl Raihan had the pleasure of knowing, so strong, intelligent, beautiful — his little Violette. “Papa?”</p><p>“Hm?” He blinks his thoughts away and props himself up on his elbows, “what’s wrong, Vi?”</p><p>“Can I sleep in your room tonight?” Clasping her hands together as she rocks them back in forth as if her father would ever say no to a face like hers. Raihan is chuckling as he pets her head softly, “Pleeeease? I promise I won’t kick in my sleep! I mean it!” </p><p>“Honey, you know you don’t have to beg for anythin’. Is there somethin’ wrong with your room? I thought you loved sleepin’ in there with all the pretty lights I’ve set up for you.” She nods at that; she <em> does </em> love all the pretty little star lights Raihan set up in her room. Whenever it was time for bed, she’d race him to the bedroom to dive right into bed with a book in hand and her precious penguin plushie at her side! He’d read a story to her before bed, but there hasn’t been a single story he’s finished because she would always fall asleep before the end. It was his favorite part of the day. Not seeing the friendly faces at work, not signing autographs for excited fans; it was here. It was at home. Reading the multitudes of storybooks that he purchased for his daughter.</p><p>“I do! I love my room! But …” </p><p>“But?”</p><p>“You look sad.” </p><p>He stares at her in silence, either he’s done a piss poor job at hiding his emotions for her sake. Or she’s the most observant child he’s ever seen as well. There’s no doubting it when even Violette had saved him from mistakes while making dinner or knowing just what to do when Raihan was under the weather. Just like her mother, he thinks to himself; a smile stays, and he rubs a thumb against her cheek, and he nods finally. “I’m okay, I promise. Papa is just tired, is all. You can sleep in here, get your things.” Then, she’s off with sparkles in her eyes. The moment she’s out of sight, Raihan heavily sighs and drops back onto the bed, “Come on, Raihan. Get your shit together already.” Staring up at the ceiling, if he’s to show Violette that he’s doing fine, then he should get up and grab dinner himself. It takes a bit, but he’s stripped himself of the heavy blankets before getting up. By the time he steps out into the hallway, he hears quick footsteps making their way over, and he spots his daughter carrying her favorite book, her penguin plushie, and her brightest smile as she darts past him into his room.</p><p>“Make way; I’m coming through!” He makes sure to step to the side for her, and Raihan can’t help but chuckle at the sight of her tossing her things onto his bed. With small hands grabbing at the sheets, she’s pulling herself up, going to the typical side she sleeps on. Violette plops down onto the bed before opening her book; now, she waits ever so patiently for her papa to come back. That’s his cue to go downstairs to clean up whatever mess she made while eating and situate a plate for himself. Raihan’s careful as he’s rinsing the dirty dishes off to put into the dishwasher, and once he does, he grabs a small bowl; he’s not that hungry, but something is better than nothing. It’s too late to stuff his face; the last thing he wants is stomach pains in the middle of the night. He has to drive Violette to school tomorrow, after all. Getting his food together, Raihan figures it’s all fine and dandy if he eats in his room. He can’t leave Violette alone for too long. When he ascends the staircase, Raihan’s picking at the chicken salad he put together before hearing his daughter read to herself by the time he gets to the doorway of his room. A small gasp when she spots him, and she smiles, “Papa, you’re eating!”</p><p>He’s chewing his food and fails to hide the smile it brings to his face. A nod and he chuckles after swallowing. “Mhm, Papa is eating. You didn’t wait long, right?” She shakes her head and raises her giant storybook above her head. “Careful, sweetie. You can hurt yourself if you drop it.”</p><p>“I’m reading my favorite story! Uhm, u - uhm…” She’s struggling to remember the name, and it charms Raihan as he plops down onto his bed. “I know it, I do!” She tries to convince him, and Raihan knows that she knows; it’s the name that is flubbing her memory, he just knows it. So, he sits there, picking at his food, eating silently with a grin on his face as he watches her stare at the story’s title.</p><p>“Eiscue’s Adventure,” Raihan concludes, and it’s like the lightbulb atop of his daughter’s head shines because her face is priceless when she remembers the pronunciation now. </p><p>“Ei .. ice cube?”</p><p>“Mm-mm. Eiscue, sweetie.” He knows it must be frustrating for her, but she’s staring at his mouth as he says it. The tiny cogs in her mind were turning, so he repeated himself. “Eiscue.”</p><p>“Eis...cue?” Raihan nods, and Violette smiles. “Eiscue’s Adventure! ‘M reading that!” He hums as he takes another bite of his food, and his daughter comically pulls her books to her face. Practically pressing her face against the pages, and he’s laughing for a split second. </p><p>“Silly girl. So, if you’re readin’ it, how far did you get into the story?” </p><p>“I’m up to the part where Eiscue gets separated from her family!” He hums, licks his lips, and nods in response. Soon enough, Raihan finishes with dinner, and once he returns from cleaning his bowl. Violette is patient but perks up when he claps his hands, confused as to why he does that. She opens her mouth to speak, but Raihan speaks first.</p><p>“You know what you have to do before bed. Go brush your teeth and clean up!” There’s a tiny groan from his daughter, and she tries to hide away under the blankets. “Mm-mm, come on. You can’t hide, I’ve already seen you.” Walking around to her side of the bed, he puts his hands on his hips before looking down. Humming softly, Raihan figures he could play along with his daughter’s stubborn resistance. “I guess if a certain little girl doesn’t go and get ready for bed, she can’t go to that one ice cream parlor she’s been mentionin’ to me soooo many times.” The blankets shift at the mention of ice cream, “I guess I’ll just go with Uncle Piers ‘n’ Aunt Marnie to the parlor! I wonder how many flavors they have, if I remember correctly,” Raihan peers at his daughter who is peeking out, betrayal written in her eyes. “I heard there are over sixty flavors! But … oh well, guess a certain someone won’t be there to enjoy all of the flavors with me.”</p><p>“No!” She protests, “I wanna go!” Violette throws the blanket down and shoots up, “Please?” Raihan crosses his arms over his chest while she puts on her best attempt at puppy eyes; it was working. But Raihan wasn’t going to bend to those cute teal eyes. “Papa, pleeeeease?” Now she was clasping her hands together, practically begging, and Raihan pointed towards the hallway, her eyes following.</p><p>“Go get ready for bed, young lady.” Her shoulders droop, but she mumbles an <em> okay </em> before crawling off the bed to make her way to the bathroom. While he watches her go, the screen on his phone lights up with a buzz, and he’s picking it up. The face on the screen is a familiar one, swiping it from the nightstand, Raihan accepts the call and he's bringing the phone to his ear. "You know, callin' me so late at night… so scandalous." He puts on his best tone of voice as he tugs on the hem of his shirt, and the voice on the other end riddled with irritation.</p><p>"Y'know, sometimes I fuckin' wonder why I even tolerate ya." </p><p>"Love you too, Piers." Piers scoffs, on the other end, and Raihan's smile is more significant than ever. With a friendship like theirs, it was a miracle that Piers even stuck around. It's been a decade worth of bickering, jokes, vandalism, and rebellious fun; Piers being the silent kid in class while Raihan was as rough around the edges as ever. They didn't have great upbringings, but that ended up being the very thing that allowed them to bond. Oddly enough, you never really saw one without the other when it came to riotous fun. "What's up? You don't usually call me unless it's urgent." He could practically hear Piers roll his eyes at that, but sadly it's true. He's been so busy lately that neither could find the right time even to manage a phone call with one another. Tomorrow was going to be their meetup after two months, "did somthin' happen with Marnie?"</p><p>"Nah, Marns is fine 'n' all, it's me. I need a small favor, mate. I work early tomorrow mornin' 'n' I won't be able to take Marnie to school. Think you can pick her up on the way over?" His daughter and Piers' little sister attend the local school, with it being one of those K-8 schools, it was something of a blessing that one was so close to home for Raihan. But he can understand Piers' incessant worrying when it came to Marnie's safety. Why it's a surprise that he's even going out of his way to ask Raihan! (Though, this is nothing new. They've helped each other out for the longest, Piers even more after Raihan's wife passed away. There have been many times where they've stayed over so Raihan could situate his schedule and regain his flow of both income and routine.) "I'm still up for the meet up tomorrow. Don't think I'll ever give up a chance to see the little doll after so long. How is she?"</p><p>"First, I'll pick up Marnie no problem," a short thank you is received. "And Vi is doin' good. I'm … worried though; she’s been noticin' my bad habits more 'n' more. She's only six years old 'n' yet she can read me easily…" Piers hums, and Raihan sighs, "I'm just… I'm tired of worryin' her, Piers. I think I gotta get this all situated."</p><p>"Have you been attendin' your therapy sessons as your doctor suggested?" That… he hasn't. He's been so busy and focused on taking care of his daughter and work, while Raihan knows he can leave work early in case of something. He never did; model work wasn't as stressful as it seemed, but he was… just so tired. So, so tired. "'M gonna take your silence as a no." And Raihan's shoulders sag; because Piers was right, like always. Now he can hear the irritation flow with his friend's words, "y'need to fuckin' be on top o' your shit, Rai. I know you're doin' your best, but you need to help yourself to help that little girl." He was right, again, like always. "If you can't go in person, do 'em over the phone. Just get the fuckin thing done. You have to." His friend’s voice rarely grows soft, "I hate seein' you like this. Don't repeat what happened five years ago; please don't, you can't do that to her again."</p><p>Five years ago, Raihan landed himself in the hospital. Thankfully, Piers was there but only to find his best friend ready to down a whole bottle of pills; it was painful to watch Raihan break down into an inconsolable mess. Honestly, it was. But Piers eventually sent Raihan to the hospital so the doctors could keep an eye on him, and during that time, Piers took off for two weeks to care for Violette. While Raihan loved Violette with all his heart, losing the love of his life was too much to bear. Especially after losing his aunt and father. Many loved ones dropped in his life, the concept of death feared him, but there was always a small voice in the back of his mind that said it'd all be fine once he dared to end it all. And that night, he nearly did. Raihan doesn't like thinking back on it, he's gotten a lot better in that regard, but it always served as a reminder that things needed to change. He needs to change, and it has to happen now. </p><p>"I know, I do. I just…" Raihan looks off into the direction of his bedroom door before continuing to speak, "no, I can't make excuses. I'll figure somethin' out, I always do. I have to get Vi ready for bed; I’ll pick Marnie up at eight."</p><p>"Alright. You're a great dad, Rai. I hope you know that, but you need to think about yourself as well; you can't neglect yourself and expect your kid to be fine with it. They'll notice. They always do. I'll see you tomorrow, get to bed."</p><p>He chuckles softly before replying and eventually hanging up. By the time Raihan puts his phone down, he hears soft footsteps return, and he looks to Violette, who makes her way into the room before climbing up onto the bed once again, “I’m done, papa!” As she crawls into her spot, she plops down onto her back, and she lets out a delighted hum when Raihan pushes a few locks of hair from her face. “Will you finish reading Eiscue’s Adventure to me?” How could he ever say no to a face like that? He chuckles, and once Raihan takes hold of the blankets, he’s bringing them up to tuck her in. He gives her the lonesome little penguin plushie, and he’s off to make his way around the bed, climbing in and picking up the heavy book. “Remember, I’m up to where Eiscue was separated from her family!” Another chuckle escapes him, and he follows up with a nod before teal eyes begin to scan the pages to find it.</p><p>“Ah, here we go.” He clears his throat and opens his mouth to read:</p><p>
  <em> All alone and separated from Eiscue’s family, she had no idea how she’d make her way home. Did they worry about her? Were they scared for her? “I have to get back to my family!” exclaims the brave little penguin. So with her eyes set on her goal, the brave little Eiscue begins to climb the snowy slopes of hills. There was no way she’d be able to turn around, not when the roads were blocked by snow, ice, and rubble. </em>
</p><p>“Is she going to make it home?” Violette asks with all the uncertainty and sorrows a six-year-old child could muster. She shifts closer to her father’s side and rests her head against him as he continues to read.</p><p>
  <em> Up, up, up went the brave little penguin, up the snowy hills and then some. Oh, will I find my family again? Cried the Eiscue, she was sure she would, for there was no one as brave, determined, and sure than her. </em>
</p><p>“Then, the obstacles of snowy hills were over. Finally! She exclaimed, and -” Raihan stops reading when he hears the sound of a soft exhale. He already knew what that meant, yet again, another story they’ve yet to finish. Looking over towards his daughter, she’s sound asleep, arms tightly wrapped around her penguin companion. It’s the smile on his face that makes all his moping earlier completely obsolete. Closing the book, he sets it aside before shifting ever so carefully to lay down beside her. His breathing is soft, and he presses a small kiss to her forehead. Mumbling, “papa’s goin’ to do right by you. I promise.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Come on; we have to be out of the door by eight, you know this!” Leon calls out, fiddling with his jacket, he can hear the rush of footsteps coming down the hall, “there you are. Here I thought you fell back to sleep.” A loving laugh escapes him before Hop tosses his bag over his shoulder, walking past him and out the door.</p><p>“Yeah, well, not everyone spends nearly an hour ‘n’ a half doing their hair!” Offended, Leon lets out a scoff and follows after, “you can’t say ‘m wrong either, Lee!” He wants to say he’s wrong; honestly, he does. But he can’t because, sadly, his brother is correct. But who cares about how long Leon takes with his hair, though? He has to look presentable for work, after all! It’s not like Leon can waltz into his office and look like the man just rolled out of bed; where’s the professionalism in that? So Leon rolls his eyes and out the door he went, keys in hand. “Come ooon, unlock the door, already.” Hop whines.</p><p>“Brat,” Leon comments as he presses the button on his key to unlock the doors. After they finish bickering over Hop putting his seatbelt on, Leon manages to get to the school on time (thanks to his GPS); and he steps out to watch as Hop makes his way into the building. His brother always did call him a bit too protective, more than their mother ever was, but that was all the more reason <em> for </em> Leon to be defensive. They were all they had right now, with their mother in the hospital and their grandparents gone. It was only them two left to look after each other. </p><p>Leon's vision is now obscured by the sleek car that drives past and because of the sudden distraction. Leon misses Hop by a thread; his brother has already gone in the crowd of children. A bit of a huff leaves him, and he takes a bitter glance towards the man who gets out of the car, but Leon was speechless. By the gods, this guy was <em> tall </em>, taller than any man he's ever laid eyes on, and he's very, very handsome; his outfit compliments his physique, with sunglasses resting right at the crown of thick, long dreadlocks. Very appealing eyes, sharp as ever, and his features were strong. He was staring, that's rude. Leon can't just outright stare! Did anyone see him? Oh, he prays that no one saw him, but a little girl is standing in front of him now, staring up at him with pretty teal eyes. </p><p>He's stuttering for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, but the little girl cuts him off. "You have such pretty hair!" Silent as ever, and shocked at that, Leon could only muster a wide smile before leaning down to greet her, "I like your eyes too, they're like that … that yellow gem! I don't remember what it's called though…" oh, she's an absolute darling. His heart feels so full, watching her fumble but compliment him with all the honesty in the world.</p><p>"Why, thank you so much! I love your dress. I think the orange matches your hair clips very well." And the smile he receives practically kills him on the spot. "Your hairstyle is adorable too!" Then, he hears a lax voice, his accent thick along with footsteps.</p><p>"Violette, come. You know you shouldn't wander away from my side." Leon looks up, and it's the very guy he was staring at before. Is this his daughter? Getting a closer look, they share the same eyes, and he smiles, it’s charming but kind, and Leon feels his throat dry at the same time. And Raihan seems to charm his way through the conversation effortlessly. "I'm sorry, she wasn't talkin' your ear off too much, was she?" When Leon blinks, realizing he was speaking to him. He practically stutters and laughs before shaking his head, spotting another girl who is a complete contrast to Raihan. Her emerald eyes are piercing, and suddenly, Leon remembers to speak.</p><p>"No! No, no, of course not. Your daughter’s the sweetest person I've had the pleasure of meeting!" Talk about laying it on thick; at least it's the truth, though. Maybe. "We were just sharing some compliments, right?" His bright smile is then directed to the little girl who rocks on her heels next to her father, giggling in response (which Leon feels like he can't recover from) and nods. "M-my name is Leon. I just moved here with my little brother," a short wave towards the school, "a-and honestly? I think I needed to hear those kind words from your daughter." The look on Raihan's face is one of surprise, brows raised and downturned eyes just a bit wider. Was that weird for him to say?</p><p>"Is that so?" Raihan replies, his look of surprise melts away into one of a gentle, warm smile. "I'm glad to welcome you to the city then. It may be a rocky start, but I'm sure you'll get by. My name's Raihan, from the looks of it. I have a feeling we'll be seein' each other often." </p><p><em> Oh, please let that be true </em>. Leon thinks to himself.</p><p>"But I have to escort the girls to the school, so, if you'll excuse me, Leon." The way his name rolls off of Raihan's tongue is smooth and unfair. Leon watches as he scoops his daughter up, and the other girl who remained silent as ever kept to his side, he speaks again before walking away. "Drive safe; it was a pleasure meetin' you." The little girl he's come to know as <em> Violette </em>calls out from over his shoulder.</p><p>"Bye-bye, Mister!"</p><p>Leon sends a small wave to Raihan's daughter, and deep down, he feels like this is just another long-winded spiral from here on out.</p><p>Leon was an utterly hopeless soul in the face of handsome men.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More encounters, sibling bonding (read: bullying), insecurities, and our wholesome little girl slowly but surely becoming the glue to this journey. &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You've been fighting the memory all on your own. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNVZ4fzkSu8">I know how it feels being by yourself in the rain.</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Come on, Rai, give us your best smile!” The flashing lights were becoming a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bit</span>
  </em>
  <span> unbearable for the guy. The moment he had stepped into the studio, Raihan was stormed almost immediately and whisked away to the changing rooms. While he was getting his makeup touched up, he made sure to send Piers a text or two to let him know his sister got to school safely. Pulling himself from his thoughts, Raihan responds in kind to the photographer’s comments, and soon enough, the recent shoot went off without any further issues. “Great work, everyone! Raihan, Nessa, you two are on standby for the next one.” As if the last one didn’t nearly take the last of their patience with it, the two models glance at each other with woeful glances. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If Raihan remembered the details correctly, this shoot was for the Hulbury cosmetics line they modeled three months ago. “So, how many times are you gonna recruit me for these shoots, love?” He jests as the makeup artist begins to remove his initial face of makeup carefully. When Nessa turns her head to look at Raihan, he hears the chime of laughter. A smile gracing his features as a result. “I’m sure there are plenty of other men you can have as your co-model.” Closing his eyes in compliance with his artist’s mumbling words, Nessa hums before speaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I asked Gordie. He said he couldn’t join for this one because he has to fly back home for his family’s business. I wasn’t going to tell him to skip that. Heard Melony’s been tossing a right fit, and he didn’t want to let that continue.” At that, Raihan laughed. It’s been a while since he’s had a chance to speak with Melony; she’s been undoubtedly busy with the company on top of caring for her kids back home. Both Raihan and Melony could relate to something, having lost their spouses one way or another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She owns a jewelry company, yeah?” Raihan inquires, to which he receives a sound of confirmation from Nessa. “After all, livin’ in Circhester of all places. It’s the perfect place to build the foundations for a company like that. Nothin’ but mines ‘n’ deposits to last them their years.” Though, he perks up when Nessa sounds unsure herself. “What? Did her plans change?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… she wants to retire, Rai. She’s been running that company for longer than we even hit double digits in age.” That was true, so was Gordie heading back home to take over or…? “Gordie doesn’t want to take over.” That answers his question, “they’ve been at each other’s throats over it for a while now. Surprised he hasn’t told you about it,” Raihan was surprised as well, given that they were good friends. But he was sure Gordie had his reasons. “I’m sure he was going to tell you eventually; you know how he gets when he’s stressed.” Absolutely. Gordie always kept to himself when it came to family issues, too; being stressed just wasn’t something even Raihan would want to go above and beyond in handling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the application of Raihan’s makeup was over, all he had to do now was finish this shoot, and he’d be able to pick up his daughter and Marnie in… an hour and a half.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>The day has been going so slow for Leon. Since this morning, he hasn't had much to do other than review patient files and follow up with meetings, calls, and finishing up any sort of paperwork shoved onto him. His cellphone would buzz in a consistent interval of five to ten minutes, and every time, it was from Hop. How many times must he tell him to stop texting in the middle of class? The last thing he wanted was to get a call from his teacher saying he wasn't following the classroom conduct. It's happened at least once or twice before. Even when Leon explained the situation to his teachers, it was purely out of worry regarding their mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though, it's not like they ever understood, even when it was a sensitive topic to discuss. When Leon’s phone buzzed once again, he sighed and picked up his phone, tapped the speech-to-text button, and began to speak. "Hop, how many times must I tell you to leave your phone in your bag during class?" Tapping the send button, he directed his attention back to filling out paperwork only for his phone to buzz again; why must Hop text back so quickly?! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>[ Hop ] : Yeah, okay. You've told me plenty of times, but it's not my fault the teacher is boring!</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>It's your obligation as a student to pay attention! Stop texting me. I’m at work! : [ Leon ]</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>[ Hop ] : Ooh, you're texting in the middle of work. You're going to get in trouble, Mr. Leon.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, he began to wonder when Hop had gotten so sassy over the past few months. Was that common? He sure hopes it doesn’t stick, it seems like his brother has an answer for everything, and it could only spell trouble for both of them in the end. Leon is quick to put his phone on silent and away before Hop can catch his attention with another message; maybe that’ll get his little brother to take the hint that he should be focusing on his work rather than nagging him. Today was going to be a long day, it seems, and from the looks of it when amber eyes gaze through the large windows, it was going to be a rainy evening as well. Just his luck, he didn’t seem to bring an umbrella because the forecast said bright skies for the entire week! Next time he should just keep an umbrella in the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Back to work, Lee. Focus.” He tells himself. He just had a few more things to handle until he had to pick Hop up from school anyway; getting through this ridiculous tower of paperwork was the least of his worries, right?</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>“Papa, that’s my papa!” A delighted shriek erupts in the crowd when Raihan is making his way through the groups of parents and children; it was hard to miss someone like him in a crowd. When he spots his daughter hopping in place with excitement, he can only smile in the boundless energy she exudes when her teacher lets her run off to her father. “Papa!” Violette squeals as she slams right into long legs; Raihan is cautious as he braces himself, but he can’t be all too frustrated with her actions. Not when she has the brightest smile on her face. “Are we still going to the ice cream parlor? Are we?” By the time he’s answering, teal eyes spot Marnie, who greets him with a small smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Marnie. Had a good day?” He inquires, and she responds with a simple nod before Raihan directs his attention to his daughter, “ I don’t know if we can stay at the parlor for long, sweetheart. It’s goin’ to storm the rest of the day.” The frown on her face hurts him more than he wants to admit, but he couldn’t merely cave to it this time around. Not when he had someone else in his care, too. “I’m sorry, baby. We have to get aunt Marnie home, so she’s safe inside, okay?” But Marnie's soft voice chimes in with a plan that would please both situations.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We could go. The ice cream parlor sells cartons of their ice cream, too. Maybe we can still have our get together?” It’s certainly more of a plan than what he had in mind. The last thing he needed was Violette holding a grudge against him for the rest of the night; if it was one thing she didn’t enjoy, it was the sudden change of plans that meant staying indoors doing homework with her father. “Is that somethin’ you’d like to do, Violette?” Marnie directs her question to Violette, who clings to Raihan’s pant leg in thought. She sure is thinking hard about it, and it shows when she continuously stutters a simple </span>
  <em>
    <span>uhm</span>
  </em>
  <span> as her eyes darted around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will Uncle Piers still come to see us?” She looks up to her father now, her teal eyes pleading. “I miss him! Please, papa?” He pats her head, and over the cacophony of voices, yelling children, and the heavy rain that’s hitting the awning they were beneath. Raihan can only nod before she’s smiling in response. It's about time they leave, too, unless they want to be stuck in traffic, "I wanna hold the umbrella!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, alright. Easy now, the last thing we need is you hurtin' yourself, okay?" His daughter nods and a glimpse of purple hair catches his eye. While picking Violette up and settling her on his forearm, Raihan bears witness to a man soaked through his clothes. The poor soul was without an umbrella, and Violette's eyes seemed to follow the path her father's eyes stared in, and delight shone on her face. It was the pretty man she met this morning! "Without an umbrella, huh," Raihan mumbles, and his daughter only seemed to fuss in his arms, catching his attention. "Violette, stop that right now." She stills immediately, looking at her father. "You know not to do that; it’s dangerous. I could drop you if you fuss any more."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But he has no umbrella! He could get sick?!" She states this with an urgency like no other. Something told him that she was pulling a fast one on him. "Give him the umbrella!" She insisted, "we have another one! And papa is quick; you can get to the car faster too." She had a point, but - he didn't want to risk her getting sick either; that’s the last thing Raihan ever wants. She has a weak immune system, after all. "I'm bundled up, papa. It's okay." As if reading his mind, he looked between her and the man grumbling to himself as he tied back thick, wet locks of hair. It couldn't hurt to give him an umbrella, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time Raihan decided, the crowd had thinned out considerably, and he's walking over to… what was his name again? Leon, right? Leon seems to be with someone else, a boy around Marnie's age who was gaining on Leon’s height fast from the looks of it. Raihan can deduce that it was something they’d end up bickering about should it be pointed out. It’s enough to put a humored grin on his face, but when Raihan focuses on the task at hand. He clears his throat to get their attention. Bright amber eyes focus on him, and Leon's pushing heavy bangs back and out of his face to see clearly while the young boy crosses his arms over his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"R-Raihan!" Oh, he remembered? "Is there… something wrong?" Leon inquires. As if Leon wasn't soaked to the bone from the downpour. If Raihan noticed Leon's intense blush creeping up (which he did), he didn't comment on it. Violette speaks up before Raihan could even try.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I saw you running in the rain!" As if Leon could get any more embarrassed. "So, I asked papa if we could give you one of our umbrellas!" Her smile is bright enough to warm the other to his core, forgetting all about the frigid winds and chilling water seeping into his clothes. Raihan's daughter is quick to point downwards towards the handle of the umbrella in Raihan's grip and tiny hands pat at her father's chest, "papa, give it to them!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So with a chuckle, Raihan obeys and simply raises the umbrella to Leon. "Here. You don't have to worry about returnin' it; we have plenty of others at home." The umbrella itself was navy blue, and the trim of it is gray. Would it be alright to take this? Even if it was out of goodwill? Leon seemed so caught up in his thoughts from Raihan's standpoint that his smile remains soft as he leans forward and casually eases the handle into Leon's hand. "Don't overthink it." He comments, "I don't mind. Besides, I'm not surprised; it rains here often despite the sunny forecasts. You should keep an umbrella in your car just in case." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speechlessly, Leon nods, looking like a deer in headlights as his hands move to accommodate the new weight they held. If Hop wasn't annoyed by his older brother's blatant staring, he sure shows it when he delivers a swift discreet kick to his brother's ankle. A sharp inhale from Leon, and it startles Raihan and Violette as a result, "N-nothing, I just …!" Sending a short-lived glare towards Hop, which Raihan glances towards the boy as well. His eyebrow raised in curiosity, Leon speaks, "I-I'll accept this, thank you. You didn't have to." Raihan smiles more, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Leon thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his smile is so lovely</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't worry, Violette insisted. It seems she's taken a liking to you." That surprises Leon, they've only met each other once, and she's already taken a liking to him? From the tone of Raihan's voice, he assumes that it doesn't happen often. When Raihan checks his watch, he clicks his tongue before looking at his daughter. "Vi, we have people to meet. We have to go." She visibly deflates, obviously wanting more time to talk to her new friend! "We're not leavin' your aunt in the car 'n' your uncle waitin' on us." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay… bye, Mister!" Raihan nods to Leon and gives a short wave when he finally departs from them. Violette carefully pops the second umbrella open with a sound of triumph, she holds it over the two of them, yet Leon watches as they leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bye...." Leon says, to no one but himself, and he's deflating. He would've liked to chat more, but he gets a short push from Hop, and he remembers what transpired not too long ago. "You, why did you kick me?!" Rolling his eyes, Hop crosses his arms again before speaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry for having to clue my brother in while he zones out, staring at his brand new crush!" Leon's shocked, crush? He's not crushing on anyone! He just met the guy; that’d be horrible! He can't have a crush on a man who has a daughter. Leon’s not like that at all! "You're a homewrecker," Hop adds before snatching the umbrella from his older brother's hands and opening it up. Leon, the poor soul, sputtering at that, burns up with embarrassment and offense before storming after his younger brother; he’s not!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm not! I don't even have a crush on him!" Leons looking around, trying to make sure the very subject of their discussion isn't around, and he catches a glimpse of that same sleek car he saw earlier that day pull out of its parking spot and drive off. "And get back here; the umbrella wasn't just for you!" He's chasing after as Hop is already walking into the parking lot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I bet you were sad to see him leave." Hop comments, oh, now he's just teasing. "I can't believe you're already crushing on someone, and we just moved here! On a married man, no less! Augh, you have such a horrible habit with guys and their looks." Leon is on </span>
  <em>
    <span>fire</span>
  </em>
  <span> now. He's not crushing! How many times would he have to say it for Hop to understand?! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's so irresponsible, which I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don't have a crush on anyone, Hop! I'm serious." He's finally catching up and ducking under the umbrella, "you could've waited for me, instead of bullying me." Leon mumbles. These little sessions back and forth were common, ugh, especially in the department regarding Leon's dating flaws. He crushed too quickly, never held a boyfriend longer than six months because they just weren't people he saw a future in. Plus, they weren't the most remarkable people. Not that Leon dated horrible people but their personalities and their ambitions never aligned in the end. Too much arguing, it exhausted him at the end of the day. But this? God, this had to be his worst one yet, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was crushing, which he is </span>
  <b>not</b>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Eh, it's fine. Raihan wore his wedding rings around his neck." Leon looked at his brother when saying that, surprise written all over his face. "You wouldn't have noticed the chain around his neck since you were too busy staring at his face." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I… so? Maybe he just didn't want to risk damaging them while working?" Leon, oh, sweet Leon - innocently states, how could a man like him who graduated at the top of all of his classes be so utterly clueless? Leon’s habits were a running joke with the family. Hop groans as they continue to walk. "What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Guys do that when they're getting </span>
  <em>
    <span>over</span>
  </em>
  <span> a marriage, you are so dense!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Doesn't that only happen in weird, cheesy rom coms?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It happens if the person you loved is still important to you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that type of thinking is what shuts Leon up entirely. Could Raihan be dealing with that? He seems composed most of the time; maybe it's just a front from his daughter? No, that's impolite for him to assume; Raihan appears to be a great father, Violette looks so happy when interacting with that gentle giant. She has a certain charm to her that can only show that she's from a loving household. When they get to the car, Leon unlocks the doors, and Hop is quick to slide into the passenger seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, also. It probably means that guy is back on the market as a bachelor. But knowing you, you're awful at playing your cards right, and I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>getting in the middle of your messy dating streak again."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't even ask for you to get in the middle of the last one!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And yet, I did!”</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>“Alright, you two. Go ‘n’ pick out your flavors; I’m gonna call Uncle Piers real quick, m’kay?” Raihan directs his words to Marnie and his daughter; when they nod, Raihan adds, “‘n’ don’t give your Aunt a hard time, alright, sweetheart? I’ll be right with ya soon.” Another sound of affirmation from Violette, and she’s holding Marnie’s hand as they hurry off towards the frosted freezer doors in the back. Standing off to the side, Raihan is glancing outside at the pouring rain as he presses his phone to his ear. The monotonous beeping occupies his thoughts until the familiar sound of an exhausted groan of a greeting catches his attention, and Raihan smiles in amusement. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I catch you in the middle of somethin’?”</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah? ‘M in the middle of drivin’ to your place, you tool.” Raihan can hear the rush of rain on Piers’ end, which can only confirm his words to be true. “Do you need somethin’, or did you just call to annoy the hell outta me?” He finally asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, ah. I called to let you know I got your sister; we’re pickin’ up the ice cream now.” He steps to the side and tilts his head to look at the two girls gathering… four cartons of ice cream. From the looks of it, Violette is picking a fifth one. Just how much ice cream is this little girl expecting to have?! He sighs heavily before returning his attention to the call, “I won’t keep you for long, though, gotta do some damage control. Poor Marnie’s bein’ subjected to the little one’s sweet tooth.” At that, Piers chuckles, but the rain drowns it out. “We’ll be back in about ten minutes, dependin’ on the traffic.” Which he hopes isn’t too bad. It’d suck to come home with cartons of melted ice cream. “Please drive safely, okay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aye, Mum. I’ll be on my best behavior.” Piers teases, “I haven’t sped in years, y’know that.” Now Raihan chuckles at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi, I wouldn’t put it past you; it’s not like you haven’t done it if it was for Marnie’s sake.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Laughing loudly over the rain, Piers adds on, “‘n’ I fuckin’ get an earful, I know!” Laughing some more, Piers slows down at a stoplight. “‘M almost there, mate. Keep an eye on them ‘n’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>drive safe.” With Raihan’s grin wide, he chuckled lowly while his eyes watched his daughter and Marnie. Poor girl, she was staring Raihan with pleading eyes to get over there and help her out, wait, is that a SIXTH one?! Okay, okay, he has to go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Violette’s goin’ overboard; I gotta help Marnie out. But yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maman</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I will drive safely. Safer than you ever did, that’s for sure.” With a shout of amused shock from Piers, Raihan hangs up and rushes over to Marnie - the poor girl carrying (or at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span> to) the medium-sized cartons; Violette is holding another and looking up at her father. “Violette Reneé! What are you, doin’?!” He calls out in a harsh whisper. She’s deflating as if to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>aw, not the middle name too</span>
  </em>
  <span> - “you know better than to do this! Come on, put them back, now.” And his daughter is immediately putting back at least two cartons of strawberry vanilla swirl ice cream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But papa, I couldn’t choose! Oh, oh, but I got your favorites!” She comments before pointing at the bottom cartons in Marnie’s arms. It reads </span>
  <em>
    <span>lavender honey</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Valencia orange</span>
  </em>
  <span>; Raihan couldn’t help but soften up. She always put him first; the fact that she even remembered his odd enjoyment of those two flavors was more surprising than he expected. “I just couldn’t choose mine!” She pouts, and Marnie gives a small, meek smile up at Raihan and nods. So that was the case.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Raihan starts. "You did mention to me that you wanted to try the new cinnamon roll ice cream they have here, right? I think now's your chance to try it, sweetheart." When Raihan mentions it, it's as if the realization dawned on her like the first light of day, and when she starts bouncing in place. They watch as Violette starts her search. Raihan concludes that this was gonna take a bit longer than usual…</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>"Honey, we're home!" The wide grin on Raihan's face remains as he sends the girls off into the house. He could already smell the lingering yet faint scent of cigarettes when he spots Piers' coating hanging up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, shut your damn mouth," Piers responds; the laugh Raihan lets out is warm and amused as he walks into the kitchen with the rest of the bags. "You're the last bloke I'd ever date, can't stand that ego o' yours." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A dramatic gasp escapes Raihan, hand pressed to his chest after setting everything down, and he looks to Piers. "Oh, you wound me. So cruel when I've done nothin' but buy your atrocious gelato." Grabbing it out of the bag and presenting a small carton of raspberry gelato. Piers raises an eyebrow before plucking it from his hands. "Not even a thank you, oh, you're mean."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kiss my white - "</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh. Oh, no bad words in the house!" Violette is quick, and Raihan has a shit-eating grin on his face as she calls Piers out. "Papa says my delicate ears can't handle them!"  With a tilt of his head, he looks at Piers, and the expression of disbelief on her uncle's face is priceless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You …" Piers was ready to drop another swear word until he glanced at the big, round teal eyes staring up at him. The biggest, most cutest frown she could muster was present. " ...very mean, man." He finishes, "how… dare </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> disrespect a good flavor." It was so awkward to witness Piers physically (and mentally) restrain himself from cursing in front of the little one. Meanwhile, Marnie was off in her world, gathering bowls, spoons, and the bags’ toppings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you two gonna continue your fake lover's quarrel, or are you gonna help me out here?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, Piers. Are you gonna continue our lover's quarrel over gross flavors, or are you gonna help your sister?" Raihan adds and receives a glare from the very man he addresses. With a wink and a laugh when his arm gets a lighthearted slap as Piers passes him. Raihan puts his hands on his hips before looking at Violette, who has occupied herself with removing (and failing) her little boots. He catches her glance up towards him, and the smallest </span>
  <em>
    <span>aw</span>
  </em>
  <span> escapes him when she whines, "okay, okay, come here. Papa will help you." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he collects his daughter, they're off to the living room. Careful of the small steps leading into the recessed area, Raihan plops down onto the plush couch and sets his daughter down on his lap. "Alright, no fussin' now, okay?" He states as he's undoing the straps of her boots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Vi, do you want caramel on your ice cream?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, please! But papa says I can't have too much." She's such a smart girl; he’s so glad she remembers that at least. Other times she'd let loose the whole container of sprinkles if left unsupervised. (Last time that happened, she couldn't stop crying out of fear of her father's disappointment, but he was only relieved to see she didn't get hurt in the process) </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, one boot off.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He tells himself, and when he goes to work on the other boot, he has to fight with his daughter playfully putting her foot near his face, "ooh, sockies!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Vi, no feet near the face." He says, but her toes are confined to cute little pink socks when he catches her wiggling them. He exhaled his distaste and laughed softly, finally freeing her other foot from its confinement in the process. "Okay, now go put your school bag away; we’ll handle your homework tomorrow since it's the weekend; sound good?" She's nodding before hurrying off with her bag in tow; the thudding of it hitting each step is his only cue. "Marnie, I'm sorry, love. Can you make sure she puts it in the right spot? She can never find it otherwise." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Marnie nods and follows suit, it's just Piers and Raihan in the kitchen. "You did that for another reason. What's wrong." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How did he - "what?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You don't normally ask Marns to do that. You got somethin' on your mind.  Spill."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I…" Raihan pauses then lets out a heavy sigh, "how do you do it?" He finally asks. "You've been carin' for Marnie since you were sixteen. You've been working since fifteen - I …" he takes a moment to speak, visibly deflating, which causes Piers to look at him with a soft gaze. "I never… planned for her to go through this, without her mother, what do I even say to her? When she asks me about her ma, I can never give her a straight answer 'n' I just choke." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Rai… you can't keep puttin' yourself under that pressure. I get where you're comin' from, but if this is somethin' weighin' you down, you gotta face it with your daughter. She is 'n' always will be the first step. I struggled a lot with Marnie. Our parents died 'n' I had to fight to keep her in my life.  It fuckin' hurt, Rai. It did. But you gotta stop bein' afraid of how she may react." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But what if she hates me?" Raihan inquires, "what if I say the wrong thing 'n' that's the very thing that sets her path? Piers, she's all I have." He felt pathetic thinking this way, but it was true. What if his daughter hated him for telling her that mama wasn't coming back? What if he said that to her, and she ended up hating her mother? He didn't want that either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Raihan, you're a fuckin' idiot if you think that girl could ever hate you." Piers begins closing the toppings laid out in front of them as well as the cartons. "I don't know about you, but she looks at you like you're a goddamn hero. That girl loves you more than anythin' I've ever seen; she won't hate you, but she'll need you to be there for her. You're ma 'n' pa to her now." Moving around Raihan to put the ice cream into the freezer, he continues, "I need you to get your shit together for that girl. You're not alone in this because I'm here, but I need you to sort this shit out for yourself first before you go thinkin' about how she'll react. You need to know how </span>
  <em>
    <span>you'll </span>
  </em>
  <span>handle this." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That draws out a heavy sigh from Raihan, not because he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to. But because he has no idea how to go about it, Raihan knows he’ll feel horrible about it; knows he’ll probably regret it. However, Violette deserves to know everything about her mother and more. Who would he be to deny that natural want of a child who has never seen her before? Granted, all the pictures Raihan has of her are on high shelves or not in sight where his daughter could see out of sheer worry and fear of her suddenly asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>who is that?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna have to speak to her about this soon, at least. I have no choice, really; she deserves to know who her mother is.” When Raihan finalizes his thoughts, he looks to Piers, searching for some sort of support. But all he’s met with is a short nod and nothing more. Raihan can think about this some other time, for now- “Come on; the girls wanted to watch a movie as well,”  Raihan takes two of the bowls in hand while Piers grabbed the other two, “Since the rain doesn’t seem to be lettin’ up, think you’re gonna end up stayin’ the night? The last thing I need to hear about is an accident because of slippery roads. We have plenty of guest rooms here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Might as well, Marnie’ll have my head on a stick if I went out drivin’ in this type of weather anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When all is said and done between the two, the girls return, and the intense debate of which movie was worth putting on to watch commenced. Though, in the end, Violette ended up winning with her very detailed explanation (that included a lot of stuttering, huffy moments, and lightly stamping her feet) on the absolute best movie to watch for the evening. So they sit down; Violette huddles close to her father as they enjoy their ice cream. The whole event was filled with tiny bouts of frustration from the youngest viewer, complaining about </span>
  <em>
    <span>the movie characters’ very lacking awareness</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did they not notice that he was the bad guy?! His ugly hair was a dead giveaway!” Violette squeals. </span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>After their marathon, it’s late into the evening. Raihan could only realize the weight of his daughter leaning into him. She was asleep; soft breathing was more discernible when the rolling credits came to a halt, the screen going black. He felt terrible, having to wake her up for her bath, brush her teeth, and situate her wild, curly mass of hair before going to bed. That alone was about an hour and a half process. Piers is handling the dishes, and Marnie is dealing with the clean up in the living room. He can focus on Violette as he gently nudges her awake, her small sounds of discontent escaping her in response. “I’m sorry, honey. But you have to wake up ‘n’ clean up for bed.” A tired mumbled </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay</span>
  </em>
  <span> is all he gets before she turns to latch onto him when he carries her upstairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To be expected, Raihan had to help her more than usual with washing up due to her dozing off. It only spelled trouble if he left his </span>
  <em>
    <span>exhausted</span>
  </em>
  <span> daughter in the bath to gather other things, so he sent Marnie to collect a fresh pair of pajamas. Then, he steps out of the bathroom to let her dry herself off and get dressed. Raihan reenters to finish helping Violette with her nightly routine, and by the time he finishes and tucks her into bed with a short story and a goodnight kiss. He’s startled when Piers is standing at the corner of the hall, “fuckin’ hell, Piers. Make some damn noise, will you?” Raihan receives a low chuckle from the other, but then Piers says something he doesn’t quite catch the first time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should go out tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said, take an evenin’ off dad-duty tomorrow. I’m off; I can watch the little one.” Piers repeats.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan blinks. Once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time before he squints. “Why? I’m fine, Piers. I don’t-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rai, I’m tryna prevent a burnout, here, alright?” Piers starts, “‘n’ from how you were talkin’ earlier. I think you’re nearin’ one. So, please. Take the evenin’ tomorrow for yourself. Unwind, you haven’t done that in years.” But… what could Raihan even do? As Piers said, he hasn’t given himself a break in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What would he even do if they weren’t visiting the public playground with his daughter or the bi-monthly visits to the aquariums with his daughter as their little bonding outings? “Go to the damn bar or somethin’. There’s one not too far from your house, yeah? The one we always visited. Take some coworkers, just get out of the damn house that isn’t a commute to work.” With that, Piers pushes off the wall and goes to his room for the night. Leaving Raihan to stand there in dumbfounded silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell can he even do for his evening tomorrow?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long. I'm so sorry for that, college got in the way then finals and new classes starting up immediately after.</p>
<p>But hey! We're learning more and more about Raihan's insecurities and a hint towards his struggles being a single parent towards the end. Leon is ... hopeless; yet, I can't fault him.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Zach had an influence on this chapter, and it killed me as I wrote this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “Go out tomorrow, do somethin’ you can’t keep pilin’ all this stress onto yourself. Please.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That night, Raihan was at a total loss for words. He knew Piers meant well; he always did, even when he was rough around the edges when approaching the matter. But this? Well, this took him by surprise; who can he invite out? Maybe Nessa and her girlfriend can come along; he always did enjoy their company. He can’t call Gordie - the guy is still away dealing with the whole family business issue. Maybe he’ll just hang out with the ladies tonight; after all, he was much closer to Nessa than anyone else, and she’s been meaning to get out for once. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> So he texts her and occupies himself with getting ready for bed. By the time he’s out of the shower and grabbing a fresh change of clothes, his phone buzzes on the nightstand, and he makes his way over. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> [ Raihan ]: Hey, Ness. I know this is sudden, but I’ve been relieved of father duty for a day; wanna hang out tomorrow? You can bring Sonia, too. I’ll handle lunch. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Nessa ]: Oh? If you insist, I think Sonia would love to catch up with you. She enjoyed the conversation you guys had about her most recent research article. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Raihan ]: Well, I aim to please :) </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Nessa ]: Lmao, well, alright then. It’s a date, what time? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Raihan ]: Does 3 pm work for you two? I’ll be able to come to pick you guys up, no problem. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Nessa ]: Perfect, Sonia’s down too. See you then. Raihan! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [ Raihan ]: Alright, perfect. See you two tomorrow, sleep well. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> And that's how the conversation went. Even when Raihan was looking forward to spending time with the two, something was bothering him. Should he cancel? No, no, that'd be unfair to Nessa and Sonia; he can't do that to them. Minutes became hours, and hours became immeasurable as Raihan laid in bed, staring at the dark ceiling above him. Why was the thought of going out so stressful for him? Was it because he wasn't going to have his daughter at his side tomorrow? He trusts Piers more than anyone, she's in capable hands, but he'll have to go over her medications again for Piers to remember. He'll also have to remind Piers about smoking, even if it's out on the balcony.  </em>
</p><p><em> There's so much to situate before he leaves, and the thought of going out to </em><b><em>have fun,</em> </b> <em> as Piers called it, shouldn't be as stressful as he was making it out to be. Despite that, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier as he continued to run down his mind to do list until sleep claimed him. </em></p><hr/><p>"Okay, Piers. You know the drill when staying in my house," Raihan starts, "no smoking, even out on the balcony. No touching the liquor cabinet; it’s locked. <em> Please </em>make sure Violette takes her medication and that she stays warm. It’ll be freezin' all day and-"</p><p>"Fuckin' Christ, all mighty. Rai, I get it!" Piers cuts him off; pale hands are already tucking Violette under warm fleece blankets on the couch. Her favorite show, playing in the background, as she chewed on a small pack of her favorite fruit gummies. Her eyes look over towards her Uncle and father, curiously wondering what they were harshly discussing, but the moment the show's theme song sprung to life. Violette couldn't help but look back to the widescreen and sing along to the melody and subtitles on the screen. "This isn't my first time taking care of her, Raihan. I know the routine, relax, <em> please </em>." </p><p>It doesn't do much to reassure him, but Raihan <b>tries</b>. His eyes are looking over and watching as his daughter went about picking at something— the sounds of plastic crinkling in her tiny hands, without even needing to look further. Raihan already knew what she was doing—picking out all the orange gummies to eat first.</p><p>"This is why you need to go out, don't come back until <em>tonight</em>. You need a day for <em>yourself</em>. I get it, I do. But you need some serious alone time to breathe." Piers comments.</p><p>"Piers, I haven't gone out for myself in four years, okay? The only times I have been f-"</p><p>"We're for work, Violette, and grocery shopping. Raihan, I know. Which is why you need this." A pale hand touches Raihan's shoulder, and he gives a squeeze before smiling softly. "She'll be okay; she’ll be safe and sound at home with Marnie and me. Nothing will happen; she won't be out of my sight. So please, go, go have fun with Ness' 'n' Sonia." </p><p>Raihan can feel his anxiety gnaw at him, but he takes a deep breath, adjusts his jacket, ties his dreads back, and he walks past Piers to go to Violette. A soft smile graces his features when he sees bright teal eyes look at him, greeting him with a smile of their own. "Hey, sweetheart. How does papa look?" He teases as he turns a bit to show off his outfit. <em> If anything, he's trying to lessen his anxiety. </em></p><p>"Handsome!!" She happily proclaims, a fruit snack tumbles from her hands, though, and she lets out a small <em>oops</em>, but Raihan chuckles as he picks it up to toss it out when he goes to leave. "When will you be home…?" Violette asks, and she's a bit sad that her father is leaving and doesn't know <em>where</em>. But she trusts that he'll be back; he always came back. Raihan pats her head and ducks to press a kiss to her forehead before stepping away to throw out the fallen fruit snack.</p><p>"I'll be home tonight, honey. I don't know if I'll let you stay up too late for me, okay? You can watch another movie tonight, though. No scary movies, Piers." And it comes with no surprise that Piers has had enough of the obvious before he's moving to push Raihan towards the door; shoo<em>, shoo, </em> he says, and Raihan can't help but laugh.</p><p>Things will be okay; they will be. Raihan will go out for the day, and everything will be alright.</p><hr/><p>"I <em> knew </em> I should've worn sneakers today. My feet are killing me." Nessa proclaims; the moment they set their bags down and plop onto the chair in the restaurant, Raihan chuckles as he slid into their booth.</p><p>"I said to dress comfortably, didn't I?" Raihan replied as he opened up a small section of his wallet to grab a bandaid. Being a father did change some habits, it seems… because when he does, both girls look at him with a wide, teasing smile on their faces. "What?"</p><p>"You're such a dad!" Nessa teased, "I can't believe you just pulled out a bandaid from your wallet. You're so old, give it here." Then the bandaid disappears from long digits almost instantly as Sonia handles their orders.</p><p>"I…" Raihan was speechless; well, he's been a father for six years. Of course, some things will change! "You're only three years younger than me; shut up."</p><p>"And yet I don't carry band-aids around in my wallet for quick access."</p><p>"<em> Maybe you should </em> since you irresponsibly wore <b>heels</b> when you knew we were gonna be walking around today."</p><p>"Thanks for the tip, <em> dad. </em>" When Nessa plants her foot down after applying the bandaid, she remarks, "worry anymore, and you'll get more gray hair."</p><p>"What?! I-I don't have gray hair, can it, Nessa!" </p><p>It felt good; it felt natural to laugh like this again.</p><hr/><p>“When is papa coming home?” Violette asks as she’s peering over the counter next to Piers. There, he’s carefully cutting into an apple after peeling it. She listens to his gentle humming, and the little one waits with an expectant look. Was her father coming home? Actually, no, she won’t think like that, papa always came home. He had never lied to her about that, but there was a part of her that would occasionally worry. Worry, worry, worry. All she ever did was worry for her father, and he started to notice that too, told her that it wasn’t her responsibility to worry so much over him. But he never let it go without a ‘<em> thank you’ </em> and a kiss on her forehead. </p><p>“Yeah, he’ll be home later tonight, Vi. Don’t worry, hun.” Flawless in his delivery, he glanced over at the little girl and smiled warmly at her. He can tell that she’s anxious, and the only reason that comes to mind is what Raihan mentioned to him last night. Maybe it was too soon to shove Raihan out of the door in hopes of destressing. Piers has never known Violette to be an anxious one, quite the opposite. But it stands to reason that it was inevitable when a child has developed a deep attachment to their parent. She probably does wonder about her mother, probably has so many questions too, and Raihan doesn’t even know where to begin.</p><p>“Tonight?” She repeats, and Piers nods. Violette visibly deflates about that, though, and it’s evident that not only does she miss him, but something else was bothering her too. “Okay. Can I watch some more TV?” A tiny voice inquires, and Piers nods again before speaking.</p><p>“I’ll be right over to set it up for you, okay? Do you still want your apple slices?” </p><p>“Mhm, thank you, uncle.” </p><p>Piers was going to have to text Raihan about that, huh. He’ll give it a few and see how she’s acting then. But when he spots Marnie coming over to help tuck her in again on the couch, he asks her to set up the television once more for Violette.</p><hr/><p>The day had gone relatively well, surprisingly. Along the way, they managed to meet up with Milo as he was just getting off the clock for work. Thankfully, he was willing to take the time to catch up with them as the day continued. Hours had passed, and not a single text from Piers came in; usually, when Piers did text him, it was about updates or something went wrong. So from the assumption that nothing has come through, everything was alright. But he feels like he should at least drop a call in with them to see how Violette was doing.</p><p>“Hey, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna make a quick call.”</p><p>“Hm? Oh, alright, we’ll still be here!”</p><p>By the time Raihan steps away and leaves the store they occupied. He overhears Sonia muttering under her breath, ‘<em> he must be worried about his daughter. </em>’ </p><p>With the phone pressed to his ear, he listens as the phone rings, and soon enough, he listens to the low, gravelly voice that’s so familiar. "Piers? Hey, I just wanted to call and check in. Is she doing alright?" </p><p>"Yup, she's been a right peach as always." There's a tiny voice in the background asking who was on the phone, to which he hears Piers reply, and the excited squeal pitches the volume on his end that Raihanhas to pull the phone away for a moment. "You there? Violette wants to see you. Want me to put her on video or call?"</p><p>"Video." The smile he had on his face was broad; her excitement was always endearing when it came to him. She always knew how to make someone feel special. When they switched up the call, and Raihan turned on the video, he watched as the screen switched to a cute little girl on screen. "Hello, my love. Behavin'?" The grin and little bounce in her step were to die for as Violette saw him.</p><p>"Papa!" She grins, "I miss you, uncle told me you were coming home later, but I miss you lots…" and it's clear when her smile dwindles. "Are you staying warm? It's getting colder; where is your jacket?" She asks, and Raihan pats himself down to realize, <em> damn, he left his coat with Nessa. </em> "Where is it?"</p><p>"Aunt Nessa has it, honey. She was cold, don't worry, Violette. I'll be okay." He reassures her with a smile, and she crosses her arms at that.</p><p>"Why is she out without a jacket?!"</p><p>"Well, you know how she is. But it's okay. I’m gonna drive them back home soon. Nessa and Aunt Sonia have work in the morning, and it's…" his words wander off as he checks the time with a quick swipe down on his phone. "It's seven. I'll be home a <em> little </em> later than usual, but papa will be home to tuck you in.” A pause, “how about this? I’ll let you stay up a little later than usual, but that means you’ll have to go to bed early for school on Sunday. Sounds good?”</p><p>It’s cute when he watches Violette visibly mull over the proposition presented to her. Like she was thinking about any outcomes, but in the end, he sees a smile bloom on her face as she nods. “Okay, deal!” When Raihan hears familiar voices, he looks over his shoulder to see Sonia, Nessa, and Milo all walking out of the store, and he takes that as a cue that it was time to step away.</p><p>“Okay, honey. I have to get back to the others to drive your aunts home. I’ll see you later, alright? Salut.” Once he said his farewells, Raihan made his way back to the others in no time to see them look at him. Nessa’s expression is gentle, but Sonia seems worried in nature as she looks at him. “What is it, did somethin’ happen?” Clueless, but Nessa puts her hand on Sonia’s shoulder before speaking.</p><p>“Was the little one okay? We know that’s why you stepped away.” Well, it wasn’t like Raihan was trying to hide it, but he can see why they’d worry over him. After all, they were there during the aftermath of his wife’s death. “Sonia’s just worried about you. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it feels like you’ve been running yourself a bit ragged. I mean, I’ve caught you looking at your phone all the time during work to watch the clock.” With Nessa pointing that out, Raihan can’t help but flush a bit. He wasn’t <em>always </em>looking at his phone, right? “Hey, listen. We get it, but maybe not to the extent that can be on equal ground but trust me- she’ll be okay. You’re an amazing father. A bit jealous.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> When she mentions that, Raihan can’t help but remember Nessa’s background. Orphaned at a young age, taken in by multiple foster families, and always had a bit of a rough childhood until a genuinely good family took her in. Raihan practically grew up with her, has seen her grow from the rowdy, hard-headed girl into the elegant and refined woman she’s become. He’s proud of her. Wholeheartedly. She was there when Raihan met his wife back in high school and has been there to help him over the first date jitters. Kicked his ass if he fucked something up, always set him straight to be a good man to her; since then, they’ve practically been each other’s wingman. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He was grateful for her in all aspects of his life. Really. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, it’s okay to worry! But make sure you don’t let that worry control you, Raihan. You’re a great guy.” Milo says, his gentle smile was always reassuring. It was a bit of a bewildering sight to meet such a wholesome guy through Gordie. Since then, they’ve been pretty good friends too. “And your little girl knows that too, so breathe a little!”</p><p>“Th- thanks, I guess. It’s just hard. I meant for today to be an easy day out, but I just can’t help it. I’m sorry.” Raihan apologizing was always akin to a pin-prick; it wasn’t often that he did it because he was so cautious. But when he did apologize, it was obvious he meant it. “You two have to get home now, right? Let me drive you; it’s the least I can do.” With that, Nessa smiles, and she pats his cheek as the two women walk past him. “Do you need a ride home too, Milo? Offer extends to you too.” But Milo shakes his head and offers a warm smile.</p><p>“Nah, I have a few things to grab while I’m out here anyway. Might as well get it ahead of time than later! Drive safe, alright? See ya!” And with that, Milo leaves. It's a good thing, too, because a strong, cold breeze swept through the streets and the touch itself sent shivers down Raihan's spine. Rubbing his arms, he makes his way back to the car, and after unlocking it for the others, they slide in, and he's immediately turning the heat on. The pleasing sound of relief escaping Sonia and Nessa in unison.</p><p>"Oh, it's not <em>that </em>bad," Raihan comments as he puts on his seatbelt. "Stop your whining." He teases.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not a big strong guy who can deal with the cold."</p><p>"No, it's called dressin' properly for the temperature and not goin' out in heels and no jacket."</p><p>"Oh, sorry, <em> dad. </em>Maybe I'll remember next time!" </p><p>From then on, they sat in a comfortable conversation. Some topics regarding work and some other fashion lines Raihan had to model for, other topics heavily regarded Sonia's research. That conversation lasted the majority of the ride as Nessa occasionally teased the two for once again going off on a tangent. But once Raihan brought them home and made sure they got inside safely. He could feel the weight of all the stress he kept a tight lid on fall onto his shoulders. Remaining parked, Raihan gripped the steering wheel and leaned forward to press his forehead to the back of his hands.</p><p>The sigh he lets out is low, praying that doing so would release some of the tension in his shoulders before he lifted his head again. He takes a look at his phone, and the bright screen reads: 9:15 pm, and part of him says he should turn in early, go home and get Violette to bed.</p><p>
  <em> But also part of him says that he should enjoy a bit of the nightlife with a drink. The latter sounded rather pleasant, especially since Piers did tell him to go to the bar. Raihan wasn't the one who usually turned down a drink.  </em>
</p><p><em> Perhaps he should indulge in a drink or two</em>.</p><p>And well, that's how Raihan ended up in a bar with an all too familiar man by mere coincidence. Bright, glossy ambers and a wild mane of violet. Thinking back on it now, Raihan should've monitored the guy's intake, but by the time he got there, Leon was positively and pleasantly <em>his words, not Raihan's fine. </em> He had felt so bad to leave the guy, who, by himself, mind you, continued to garner glances and looks from both men and women alike. It didn't sit right with Raihan.</p><p>Thinking back one more time. Raihan wasn't sure if that encounter could've gone a completely different way.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The music was pleasant when Raihan stepped in. Met with greeting from familiar strangers and bartenders alike, the standard order of a single bottle of whiskey and the usual spot where he sits is nothing new. But what catches his eyes in the low lighting is a head of violet hair next to one of brown hair, short, messy - but when looking closer. Leon's body language screamed uncomfortable when he continued to walk by, not having been seen yet.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Raihan decided to detour.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> With a simple glare and a short head tilt, the creep ditched both of them before Raihan chose to slide into the booth with Leon. Who, despite looking as if he's down his fourth drink, looked… pretty handsome in the low lights.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I never took you for the type to drink. Rough day?" Raihan teased; once Raihan‘s drink is brought over. He already set out to pour himself a glass before looking back at the other. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Uh… I-" at a loss for words as Leon could only stare, he cleared his throat and rubbed at the nape of his neck. "I guess you can say that yeah. It was a pretty rough day at work. Y-you?"  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I'd like to say it was alright, but …" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "But?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Nah, I won't worry you about it. I'm alright." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I don't think it'd be a bother. If anything, I'm willing to listen." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Such honesty caught Raihan off guard. Part of him wanted to accept the offer, but another part didn't want to subject Leon, who is somewhat tipsy, to emotional and stress-induced rambling. But when he looks over at Leon after he takes a swig of his drink, Leon looks at him with pleading eyes, glossy and in all consideration, a bit childlike. Raihan didn't know how to respond to such a look, but he eventually caved with a heavy sigh. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Okay, okay. No more of that." A deep chuckle escapes, "it's nothin' much." Raihan ponders where to start, and he begins to speak, "I uh… I went out with some friends today, well, more like I was ordered to by another friend of mine. While I didn't mind at first, it meant havin' to be separated from my daughter. May not be obvious, but… she's important to me." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Leon had already abandoned his drink in favor of listening to Raihan. That attention… it wasn't what he was expecting, in all honesty. He felt a bit silly, but Leon did say he was willing to listen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "So I've just been stressed since bein' away from her. Call me a mess, but it's hard. Especially bein' a single father." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Wait, you're a single father?" The shock in Leon's voice is evident, and Raihan looks at him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I thought it was obvious."  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "N-no, you… I always thought you were, uhm, married." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The meek smile that appears on Raihan's face is what makes Leon shut up. He looked so amused but also upset and pained. So this was what Hop was mentioning, huh. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I'm so sorry if I overstepped. I-" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Hey, it's alright. But yeah, I was married. My wife passed away six years ago." When the words tumble from his mouth, he swallows down the bitter feelings with another sip of his drink. "It's just Violette and me now." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I'm so sorry for your loss; I can only imagine how heavy it must weigh on you still. I didn't mean to bring up old wounds, I… I'm a bit drunk." That didn't seem to be the thing you end with, but the laugh that startled a blush onto Leon's face was loud, a bit on the ugly side but so endearing that Leon could hear his heart beating aggressively.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Leon watched in awe; the usually collected and lax man before him was laughing so honestly. Sharp canines in full view, his throat went dry as heat traveled down his neck when Raihan had to excuse himself and turn his head to dismiss his laugh into the back of his hand.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I just didn't expect that reason." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "It's okay. You have a nice laugh." If one thing Leon could ever say worked its magic. Surprisingly, it was that as Raihan cleared his throat in response before silently taking a sip of his drink. "May I ask… how she passed?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "She passed when Violette was born." The weight of just a few words was so heavy. "She knew that it was a possibility, but she still wanted to have our child. It meant a lot at the time, but the thought of her dyin' terrified me. Not because I wasn't capable of takin' care of a child but because my child would be motherless." Which… ends up being the case.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I'm so sorry."  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> They sat in pleasant silence after that, sharing a drink here and there, ordering some snacks to help with their drinks and the more time went on. The more they openly continued to speak to one another, but more and more there was a voice in the back of Raihan’s mind that said he should end the night here. He had to go home, but Leon looked… Well, now he just looked drunk to the point where he was heavily leaning on Raihan's side without a care in the world. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He didn't mind it, though, and it was cute with how Leon hummed sweetly as his fingers smoothed against the engraved design on his glass. The gentle vibrato added a warm touch to Raihan's drink. It was nice, it felt natural, and part of him didn't want to leave.  </em>
</p><p><em> It was more than a startling realization that he craved human contact. More than just the simple greeting and hugs, thinking about it more. It made Raihan's heart twist at the thought of ever really being lonely, how he focused so hard to avoid that realization and that natural, human desire to connect with another. But it's been so long that he has. Six years is a </em> <b> <em>very</em> </b><em>long time, and it's something Raihan feels opposed to, not because he doesn't want it.  </em></p><p>
  <em> He wants it so badly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But he can't when Violette still wonders who her mother was. What type of woman she was and everything she loved. He couldn't be so selfish. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Rai?" A tiny voice reaches him, and Raihan looks over at Leon in wonder. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Did you... ev'r want more children?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The slurred words were endearing, but the </em>
  <b><em>actual</em> </b>
  <em>words made him flustered. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Ah… hah, yeah I...I guess I did. We had planned it-" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a simple look up towards Raihan, Leon gives a teasing grin as he spoke soon after, "Well, I can give you more..." </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What? What, what, what? The heat that pooled in his face was immediate but despite that. His chest swelled with a deep breath he took at both the suddenness and the … unabashedly honest words.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He should call it a night for both of them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I think we should end the night here, Leon." </em>
</p><p><em> The look Leon gave was mixed, and the sight </em><b><em>hurt</em> </b> <em> Raihan; there was a look of rejection, hurt, confusion all on Leon's face, but he looked away for a moment before nodding. He looked like he was stood up on some sort of date. But Raihan would not, nor would he ever take advantage of another in such a state. It wasn't right.  </em></p><p> </p><p>So it took a lot of coaxing for Leon to tell Raihan his address when he said he'd take him home. He hoped Leon wouldn't fight him over it, but with a bit of fussing on Leon's end. Raihan managed to get the address out of him, and he safely tucked Leon away in the back seat, covered him with his jacket for warmth, and drove off.</p><p>There was an occasional mumble of <em> I'm sorry, </em> or <em>please don't hate me </em>from the back seat, and Raihan wasn't sure if Leon meant him or someone else. Was he asleep and talking in his sleep? Or was Leon in his drunken stupor asking Raihan to forgive him? There was nothing <em>to </em>forgive anyway. Leon was drunk, and holding someone who is intoxicated to a high standard in manners was impossible. Regardless, it was odd for Leon to think Raihan hated him for his… bold words earlier.</p><p>Raihan didn't hate him. If anything, he was thankful. For a night, he was able to forget about his worries and spent it in the company of a somewhat eccentric and endearing man. Sure some things ended up rearing to a slightly weird direction, which ended their night, but it went without saying Raihan was going to keep this close. He hadn't felt so happy in the company of another other than Violette is so long.</p><p>As Raihan continued to drive, he would hear the occasional sniffle and mumble, but he didn't pay any mind in hopes of letting Leon calm down. Though he did feel bad, maybe he should've worded himself better. When he slows down to a stop at the red light, he turns a bit to look into the back seat to spot Leon looking at him from over the collar of Raihan's jacket. "Are you alright?" </p><p>Leon remains silent as he sniffles before speaking in the tiniest voice Raihan's ever heard from him. "Do you hate me for what I said?" He sounded so confused and upset, but Raihan didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry,  'm sorry- 'm bad with words. I didn't mean to u’set you."</p><p>"Hey, hey. Calm down, and it’s okay; I’m not angry. I'm not upset."</p><p>"Th’n why are you takin’ me home s’early? Y’didn't wanna look at me."</p><p>"No, no, Leon. I'm takin' you home early because I want you to be safe. I'd hate for somethin' to happen to you because I decided to head home early." His tone is reassuring as he extends a hand to him, or, as well as he could. "I don't hate you, I promise." When Leon sniffles again, the jacket shifts, and a hand moves to hook a finger on Raihan's.</p><p>"You're not?" Leon inquires, to which Raihan shakes his head.</p><p>"I'm not." Soon enough, a car thinks behind them, and he takes that cue to turn back around to drive, but Leon gripped his hand, "Leon? I have to drive."</p><p>"Please-" he pleads, and silently Raihan gives in as he continues to drive. He's gonna have to be a lot more careful given the circumstances now.</p><p>After another hour or so, Raihan parks right outside a house. The lights are still on, and Leon whines when it catches him in the eyes when he sits up. "Bright…" but he watched as Raihan left the car moments after, "Rai?" He stares when the car door opens, and Raihan helps him out; Leon’s legs wobble like a newborn fawn until the taller man steadies him. "Mm?" </p><p>"I think it'd be best if I carried you to the door." </p><p>"Mmno, 'm okay." Leon insists, but the moment he takes one step, he's unsteady. Gripping Raihan's arm that cradled him. "Okay, carry me." Such a quick give into defeat has Raihan laughing softly before sweeping an arm under Leon's legs and cradling his back, lifting him with ease. A gasp escapes the violet haired man, and he's quick to place a hand against Raihan's chest, "oh... strong…" he mumbles, and Raihan chuckles as he begins to walk forward.</p><p>"I get that a lot." He comments, and Leon can feel his face heat up. He clings to the other, and the deep scent of sandalwood and jasmine envelopes him. It was a pleasant scent, it left Leon feeling warm and content until the sound of a knock catches his attention and the bright lights have him whining and burying his face into Raihan's chest.</p><p>When Raihan meets youthful ambers when the front door opens, he gives a meek smile. "Seems we keep runnin' into each other. Sorry for all the trouble." The young boy scoffs and steps to the side; it was like he already knew this unspoken song and dance when his older brother was involved. Part of him feels terrible, but another part of Raihan is curious, too. But he's careful when he steps into the house, and the young boy steps past him and speaks.</p><p>"His room is over here. Just toss the guy in there. I can't believe he went out 'n' got drunk <em>again. </em> " Those last words muttered to himself. Raihan followed Hop's instructions. When he steps into the room, though, the boy flicks the lights on, and Leon groans in response, mumbling: <em> turn it off</em>, and Hop rolled his eyes. "Get over it, you big baby; I can't believe you did this already. You're lucky this guy brought you home."</p><p>"Stooop…" Leon whined, and Raihan felt like he was put between a sibling fight. He's careful when he lowers Leon onto his bed, though, and his response is to be expected, Leon’s hand latched onto the front of Raihan’s shirt. "Don't go… please." </p><p>"I have to go home, Leon. My daughter's waitin' for me. I'm sorry." He removes Leon's hand from his shirt, and Hop has already left the room at that point. Raihan goes about tucking Leon in and silently apologized for leaving this guy in jeans and a button-up, but there was no way he'd help him out of his clothes. Once he settled Leon in and the other fell asleep, he left a note on his desk and stepped out.</p><p>"Thank you for bringing my tool-of-a-brother home." A small voice reaches him when he gets to the front door. "You didn't have to, but you did, even when you don't know us. Surprised you managed to get him home. But… thanks." Raihan smiles and nods. It was… quite the experience, but he said his goodbyes, and Hop locked the door behind him. Raihan was able to drive home with a clear consciousness that night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The chapter was a bit all over the place, sorry for that! But regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>
  <i>
    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bERlOYHgM">i know how it feels being by yourself in the rain. we all need someone to stay.</a>
  </i>
</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>It's been weeks since Raihan has seen Leon in their short encounter at the bar. Some days he'd see Hop waiting outside for his older brother to come to get him. As a father, he always worried if Hop would be alright waiting even after all the kids have gone home. He has always given a thumbs up with a cheerful grin he didn't ever expect to receive from Hop. Raihan would only have a few of his worries dismissed. Other days, Hop asked if Raihan could drive him home; Leon would be home late from work, and he didn't want to bother waiting so long to catch the next bus to arrive. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s learned more about the kid. He even discovered that “Hop” became a nickname for him for most of his life in those drives home. If Raihan asked, Hop would grow sheepish and say maybe another time. Of course, that time came around too, and it turns out that Hop was a very energetic child; when he learned how to walk, he eventually learned how to hop. From then on, Hop, as a toddler. Would latch onto the coffee table and jump in place with so much excitement. He often toppled over.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Raihan couldn't help but smile, share a warm chuckle, and looked at the kid through the rearview mirror as he played with Violette. He was a good kid; Leon had his hands full. That much is inevitable, but at least he had such a bright, well-mannered brother to keep him going. Though, Raihan can tell there are some features and traits of Leon in Hop as well. They were both very bright people, intelligent as ever, and so goal-driven that they would always see things to the end. He's learned that about Leon through the numerous texts they've shared.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Raihan can remember when Leon messaged him early in the morning, asking if the number he received was Raihan's. To his surprise, it was. Then Leon didn't answer for a good twenty minutes, and Raihan was left wondering, as he was tying Violette's hair back, if Leon was already starting the day. No, it took Leon a while to get back to think of what to say, according to the other. There were some moments where his daughter even wanted to say hi to Leon but couldn't because he wasn't around.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Such were the woes of being an adult, Raihan mentions. To which Violette stubbornly replied, </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>'I never want to be an adult!'</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> he couldn't blame her. He said the same thing as a child too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tedious work and nothing exciting or worthwhile happening, at least, that's what led Raihan to believe in his youthful days. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"There are many beautiful things in life, my love. I want you to grow up and see it all, by yourself or with another. I just want you to live happily." He said.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"But I'm already happy, papa. What else is there to it?"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>For once in a while, Raihan experienced a familiar swell of warmth fill his chest at Violette's words. So honest and kind, he loved her with all his heart.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There was so much to teach her, yet, it felt like there wasn't enough time in the world.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two weeks became four, and suddenly, his daughter's room, once filled with starry night lights, turned to dull hospital lights. It was so sudden, too. One day, Raihan was working and had gotten a phone call mentioning his daughter collapsing in the middle of recess. He couldn't remember much afterward; all Raihan knew was that he had to go, and he walked out in the middle of a shoot. He can remember rushing to the hospital to see her teacher waiting for him to arrive; god above, he couldn't even remember what was said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now, he has spent most of his time in her room. Raihan can't remember the last time he's slept, or ate, even, despite the nurses worrying. How could he? Raihan was staring at his daughter, who was asleep, hooked up to an IV and machines keeping constant track of her vitals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was too scared to blink. He was even more terrified to go home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piers and many others have come to see her. Violette was always so tired, struggled to eat, and had the lingering aches of a fever she was fighting. Asking for her father at every turn, and he was at her side in an instant, most have never seen Raihan so terrified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could he not? She was all he had. His father was gone, he no longer contacted his mother, and his sisters never bothered to visit. Raihan was, or always felt, alone. That the only one he had left was this little bundle of life he had to protect. Part of him is beating him down with the thought that he's a failure, that if he had recognized something was off, then he'd have it situated. That if he were a better father, she wouldn't be in the hospital. He felt so worthless, so aimless, he's horrible, he tells himself. He's the worst, and he should be ashamed of himself, that he-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Rai…?" A distantly familiar voice reaches him, and for a moment, Raihan blinks in what felt like an eternity. When he turns his head towards the hospital room door, he sees warm amber eyes, like pools of honey, and long locks of violet hair. Though unable to recall what the other says next, Raihan soon watches as Leon’s eyes look off to his daughter lying in bed. Watching as some color drains from Leon's face too. "Oh my god… did I…? I caught you at a bad time, didn't I? I'm…" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon doesn't even know what to say. He's practically floundering until he looks at Raihan again. He seems so tired- so </span>
  <em>
    <span>worn</span>
  </em>
  <span> out. As if this man has seen so much and had nothing or </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one</span>
  </em>
  <span> to reach out to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon was only here to visit his mother; he didn't expect to see this. Not the little bundle of joy laying in that bed. When Raihan stopped answering his texts, he got worried. But chalk it up to being a busy man, after all. He's a father. But he tightens his fists and takes a short breath before speaking, "do you need someone right now…?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it was enough to crack Raihan's exhausted exterior.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So they sat together, and Raihan cried. Leon had never seen someone so torn before; he’s seen a few glimpses. That's not to say that Leon has not mourned or comforted those grieving, but this was a pain Leon hasn't seen for a long time. Guilt, fear, worry- so much was bottled up in one man, and it was all held together by flimsy tape and useless amounts of glue. No part of reparation could fix the years of damage Raihan had inflicted on himself. At least, that's what he seemed to believe.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But Leon didn't think so; in fact, he never did. To him, Raihan was a father any child would love to have. He knew Violette was loved, cared for, and content with her life with her father. They held each other together. It was so painfully obvious.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Leon can't recall how long it's been since Raihan finally stopped crying, how long they've sat in silence. Leon sent a text to Hop that he'd be a bit longer getting home, but really, he wanted to be there with Raihan.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He's even managed to get Raihan to eat and make an attempt at napping. Of course, the tired, falsely amused, </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>no promises</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>, escaped Raihan, but Leon put it to chance.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'll watch her, I'll wake you should she wake up and something happens. But please, she needs you to be well too."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Leon wasn’t lying in the slightest when he thought the sight of seeing Raihan so unraveled in his anxiety was scary. Leon always thought Raihan was this cool guy who didn’t have many problems that could bother him. He was so lax and took everything in stride. That image was chipped at the edges now. Of course, it doesn’t change anything about how Leon views the man. If anything, it makes him worry more. He recalled their discussion at that bar a couple of months back, and thinking on it, Leon should’ve picked up on those signs. Even when someone says they’re alright, there’s always something left between those lines for someone to find. Leon just so happened to be the one who failed at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt terrible, but he knew he shouldn’t beat himself up over it. The issue wasn’t Leon’s to shoehorn himself into, but a part of Leon’s desire to help Raihan. Now that he’s realized just how much stress Raihan’s under, Leon thinks in some ways that he could. But a lot of them require speaking to Raihan, who, mind you, is probably halfway into his fourth dream. It’s the sound of soft snoring that catches Leon’s attention, a bit of a sudden start, really- but he looks over to see Raihan, who, with his height. He can’t even fit well into the seats that he needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> (even those didn’t help much either) seats to prop his legs up, snore. It was a lovely sight, Leon wouldn’t know if it was a common thing, but he could only assume just how much Raihan was pushing himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The guy looked like death. When Leon stood in the doorway, there were dark circles under Raihan’s eyes, and when they spoke, he was so unresponsive. Nothing came from him other than the occasional short answers, but his eyes were always on his daughter as she slept. Understandable, but worrying nonetheless. It was the only reason Leon decided to stay longer to relieve a bit of stress for the other.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But there’s an even tinier groan that catches Leon’s attention, and he’s quick to snap his head to the source. Little Violette was shifting and groaning as she woke, and without much to do, small teal eyes looked around only for them to land on Leon. A tiny gasp escapes her before a wide smile graces her tired features.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, mister Leon… what are you doing here?” She asks, her voice is thick with exhaustion, and Violette rubs the sleep from her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, honey. Are you okay? I was visiting someone when I just so happened to spot you and your father; I was so worried.” He replied as he rose to his feet, “what happened?” Leon asks carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm… papa doesn’t say much about it, but I’m weaker than other kids. Papa told me I have to be careful when I do stuff.” She answers, looking at Leon, who was now at her side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sick?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, I’m sorry, Violette. You’ll get better soon, okay? I know you will. Do you wanna see your papa?” When he asks that, she nods and when Leon realizes she’s far too tired to sit up without some help. He’s careful with his hands as he fixes her pillows to prop her up. “Okay, he’s sleeping, but he told me to wake him when you woke up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nods but giggles a bit when she realizes Raihan’s snoring, “he looks so silly, sleeping like that.” Violette comments, “he’s snoring too. Papa must be tired...” As Leon’s eyes train themselves on the young girl as she speaks, there’s a bit of a distant look in her eyes, as if there’s something she can’t quite reach with words alone. It’s a bit of melancholy mixed in with that distant gaze too, Leon wonders what she’s thinking. Violette must worry over her father also.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back.” His gentle hand leaving her shoulder, she nods, and he’s off to make his way to Raihan’s side. A firm hand on his shoulder and he nudges Raihan with a simple, “Violette’s awake, Rai.” Nothing, he’s still sound asleep. “Rai! Wake up!” A bit louder than he wanted out of respect for Violette, amber eyes meet with bright teal eyes, and Leon smiles at the sight. “Your daughter’s awake.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That seemed to have woken him up completely when Raihan sat up quickly. “Violette!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the man scrambles to get out of the chair he’s slept in, Raihan’s at her side. And Violette smiles and speaks. “Hi, papa! ‘M awake.” Simple and sweet, and part of Raihan wants to feel relieved, but another is still anxious. He is already fretting over her as he presses the back of his hand to her forehead. “I don’t feel so hot anymore. When can we go home?” Nuzzling into Raihan’s hand when he rubs his thumb against her cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The doctors said that, while your fever will go down sooner than later. You might have to stay here longer,” Raihan conveys, “Your fever was very high, my love. I think you should stay here for a bit longer, just to be safe.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But… I don’t want to; I don’t like hospitals.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, sweetie, papa doesn’t like hospitals either, but I want you to get better. If that means you have to stay, then, Vi, you have to stay.” She didn't look pleased with those words one bit, but it is evident that she understood how important it was that she got better. As Leon watched the two speak, he couldn't help but feel like he was imposing on a moment not meant for him to see. To even be a part of witnessing. So he's silently grabbing his things to put them outside as Raihan and Violette continue to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He can still hear the soft chattering from within the room, and part of Leon wants to go in and offer his help to Raihan in any way he can. But wouldn't that be too much? To just push that thought onto Raihan without even knowing if he's willing to accept? Life was tricky, but people were even more misleading, and Leon always failed in that department. Raihan was one of the most unreadable people he's ever met. He would tell Leon one thing, but then he'll find out that it's the complete opposite in the end.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the voice reaches Leon, he's pulled from his thoughts to see Raihan standing in the doorway. Arms crossed and leaning against the door frame with a warm but still vaguely exhausted look on his face. Leon pauses as he takes in the sight before him, but a soft, breathless laugh escapes him as he greets the man in turn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Violette's tired again, but… she wants to say goodnight to you." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Leon thought he heard wrong. But when Raihan tilts his head, awaiting a response from him, he realizes that he probably heard right. "...me?" Leon asks, and Raihan hides his laugh behind the back of his hand. He never thought much about it, but Leon has come to adore that small quirk of his. "I… yes! O-of course, I'll say goodnight to her. I'd love to." He adds on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time they return to the room, Violette is already tucked in and looking their way as they enter. The sleepy look in her eyes doesn't go away despite the grin on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hi, sweetie. Your father told me you wanted to say goodnight to me?" When Leon asks, she nods, and part of him can feel his heart swell at that. It's not often that they have spent time together. They never did. But to see that Leon has such an impact with the little girl…it made him want to help her more, including her father. "Sleep well, Violette. I'll come to visit you when I can, okay?" She nods again, and when Leon runs a thumb against her hand. She closes her eyes and dozes off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you." Raihan says, "you… really didn't need to stay, especially when you must be equally tired. I'm sorry I kept you-" with the sudden hand raised from Leon. Raihan stops speaking and renders himself silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Listen, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. But, I know how important your daughter is to you, and I know you'd give her everything if you could." A pause, "so, I just… felt like I had to. I didn't do much, but I'm hoping I did."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speechless, Raihan simply stares. With a loss for words, Leon smiles brightly as he puts a hand on Raihan's forearm. "How about this." Leon proposes, "how about… I help out with Violette? When she gets home, I'm sure there's a lot that you'll have to deal with on top of taking care of her." Another pause, wondering how he should word this better. "What I'm saying is that… I'd like to help you. Because I know you're doing everything you can, but I don't want to see you burn yourself out worrying over her. You can end up in a hospital bed too, and I-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Leon…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He swallows, "I don't want to see that for you, okay? Not when you have a bundle of joy to raise." Leon smiled, “it’s fairly obvious that she looks out for you too, whether you’ve noticed or not. If anything, I’m pretty sure you instilled that in her.” He laughed next, “I just want to make sure that she’s alright. Would… you allow me to help?” And that’s where he watches Raihan stiffen at the question, and he wonders if he’s ever let anyone help him. Wonders if Raihan has allowed anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span>; Leon’s sure he’s done so before, but how often does he? From the reaction alone, </span>
  <em>
    <span>not usually</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What … what do you mean? Don’t you have Hop and work to deal with?” Raihan asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just so happen to be working from home at the moment,” Leon replies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Just so happen?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Raihan repeats, “Leon, I… no, you don’t have to. I’ve taken off work for a couple of weeks to make sure Violette is alright. You don’t need to offer up your time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’d like to.” Leon intervenes, “Raihan; I meant it when I said I care about you two. Truth be told, if I can’t help in some way, I get a bit restless.” He chuckles, smiles wide with cheeks flushed. “I’ve come to care about you two a lot in these multitudes of weeks of knowing both of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Raihan doesn’t know how to handle this kind of discussion. Should he accept Leon’s help? From their late-night conversations when the kids have gone to bed, and the workday is over for them both. Raihan’s learned that Leon is a very stubborn and persistent man in the face of an obstacle. He’s listened in during phone calls they’ve had where Leon was trying to fix something or find something amid his messy room (he calls it comfortable chaos. Raihan would never understand that either). Frequently, it’s left a smile to grace Raihan’s face as he listens to Leon’s complaints and goes to war with himself over it. Leon was, all-in-all, a fascinating man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I say no, you’ll be stubborn about it, won’t you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know me so well.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A heavy sigh escapes Raihan, and he crosses his arms as Leon tries to contain the laughter bubbling up.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It’s been about a week since the two men discussed their plans. Unsure about how this would all </span>
  <em>
    <span>go</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he decided that it was all up to chance. That, and he chose to place his trust in Leon’s offer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Coming!" Raihan calls out at the sound of the doorbell. After just tucking Violette into bed for her nap, the man makes his way downstairs and opens the door to see a bright smile and two heads of violet hair. "Leon, Hop." He greets, and Hop raises a hand in greeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hop's eyes held a glint of worry and some other emotion that was hard for Raihan to read. But when he finally speaks up, Raihan can feel his heart melt. "Is Violette okay? I heard what happened to her from Leon 'n' thought I could help out too." He can see how Hop fiddled with his fingers as he speaks, and both Leon and Raihan look at the kid with warm gazes before Leon turned back to Raihan as he ruffled his brother's hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He was anxious when I told him about our plans. He refused to let me leave without him when he heard Violette got sick." Leon chuckles as Hop swats his hand, and that hand moves to his hip; the bags slung over his shoulder seems heavy, and part of Raihan feels guilty that Leon even went out of his way for this. "How has she been holding up?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Raihan allowed them inside, Hop and Leon looked around the place with interest and delight. Well, it was ample space, the decor matching Raihan's… rather materialistic tastes but also keeping a neat, organized state. Hop scurried off the moment Raihan told him he could look around and familiarize himself with the house and keep it down as he did so. "Violette’s takin' a nap right now. The medicine the doc gave her does a number on her." Thankfully, it helps her sleep. But Raihan can't help but pray it </span>
  <em>
    <span>helps</span>
  </em>
  <span> her more than anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's good. Has she been able to keep her food down?" Leon asks, only for Raihan to nod in response. "Perfect, I was thinking of… making dinner tonight. If you'd let me, I know it's your house and all but-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no. That’s fine; since you’re goin’ to stay here for a bit, feel free to get comfortable.” Raihan smiles; part of him finds himself charmed by just how respectful Leon tries to be with every single thing and factor around him even if they’ve been cultivating a blooming friendship, despite it being through texts and occasional phone calls before bed. “Leon, you’re not oversteppin’ boundaries.” He adds, “it’s okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leon flushes at that, and he nibbles on his lower lip. Nodding in response, “okay. Okay…” He responds, “I’m gonna go get our things situated; that alright with you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, by all means, go ahead. Let me know if you need anythin’, alright?” As Raihan speaks, he’s already stepping into the kitchen. When the sound of footsteps ascend the stairs, Raihan holds his breath, and eventually, the sound disappears- only then does he exhale heavily. He can’t believe Leon managed to persuade him to accept his help, not that Raihan doesn’t see Leon as reliable. Far from it, he just … it’s hard. To take help when the apparent failure stands right in front of them. Leon would never admit it, but Raihan was undoubtedly the one to admit it; how could he have not noticed something was wrong with </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> daughter? How? His daughter was usually so vocal when something was bothering her, but- nothing, not a single word of complaint came from her, even when he asked how she felt when the bright morning sun would peer through their kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s been kicking himself ever since. Now Leon volunteered, albeit unnecessarily, to help him care for his daughter. That just felt like salt rubbed into his many hidden wounds. But Raihan knows that Leon’s not the type to do that. He’s learned that very early on. It was appreciated, but also unnecessary as he’s told him many times. Hopefully, this just brings Violette some glimmer of joy; after all, she loved Leon’s presence more than anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rai?” A small voice reaches him, “Hey, your grip on the counter is… really tight, are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he’s dragged out of his thoughts, Raihan blinks before looking at the person cradling his hand now as it loosened its hold. Leon stood there; there’s blatant worry in his eyes as he remained close to his side. “Are you worried?" He inquires, and Raihan shakes his head, "Hop's doing his homework in the guest room. Do… you want to sit down and talk?" The way he asks Raihan tells the man that it's an attempt to merely get his mind off of whatever was bothering him so profoundly. But Leon deflates when Raihan shakes his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm just tired. I'm alright. I was goin' to get you 'n' Hop a drink but…" His words trail off, "I guess he's busy." It's when Leon is tugging on his arm and spiriting him away to the living room that Raihan is confused, at least, of part of him is confused. The other half is curious about what the shorter man is planning until they plop down onto the sofa with a small grunt. "Leon-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Relax, I'm not gonna pry into whatever lecture you were giving yourself in your mind." He smiles, "but I don't want you to go and accidentally hurt yourself in the process, okay?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dumbly, Raihan nods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good! Now, what does Violette enjoy? Is she a picky eater?" Leon starts with a clap of his hands. Raising an eyebrow, Raihan was surprised to hear their new discussion topic. Though, he never let a chance to talk about his daughter slip past him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, the moment he started talking, Raihan could've sworn he saw a warm, loving glint in Leon's eyes.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I promise you nothing bad will happen to Violette.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't have a specific update time because of college but if anything, y'all can keep an eye on my side twitter for it which is @drgskies, feel free to chat me up and ask questions about what I have planned. I won't give away big details but I can give some facts about the characters! I'll try not to take too long with chapters. </p><p>As always, feedback is encouraged ; v ;</p></blockquote></div></div>
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